The Sweetest Thing
by SecretSmile6
Summary: Draco wants to help Hermione get revenge on Ron for cheating on her. They pretend to be a couple to make Ron jealous but could their "fake" attraction really be masking hidden feelings? Will Ron try to win her back before Draco can prove his love to her?
1. Chapter 1

So here we go! It's taken two years but I've finally gotten my laptop so here is the first story I've written and there will by many more to come! Enjoy and don't forget to R&R! Thanks! 

THE SWEETEST THING Ch. 1

Draco's POV

"_Stand still_

_Watch_

_Interference is not an option_

_Don't do anything you'll regret later on_

_But how can I not help_

_Not do anything and everything_

_In my power to prevent_

_Pain_

_When not helping_

_Only causes myself_

_Pain_

_Jump up_

_See_

_Speak out..."_

_Krista Everett_

Draco quickly shut the door, trying to block out the image in his mind. So the rumours were true. How could she not have heard a whisper about it yet? It seemed the weasel and his little mistress had gone further than the rumours were aware of. Draco shook his head as the picture of Ron Weasley snogging and...well...attacking Lavender Brown's inadequate breasts with his hand crept back into his mind. It was disgusting. And not just that it was the pathetic weasel who was getting some when he, the king of the school wasn't. Oh, no. To top it all off, Weasley had two girls he was involved with; Lavender was his behind-the-scenes lover and during the day he had hold of the smartest girl in the school, one who had much more adequate breasts...

Draco shook his head again wondering where that thought had come from. Maybe it was because deep inside he had a tiny crush on the girl he was supposed to despise and maybe it wasn't so tiny after all. Was that the reason why he felt like bursting back through the door and hexing Weasley's ass to oblivion and beyond? He felt his wand itching to be used in his back pocket but walked quickly away instead.

Hermione Granger was a muggle-born, a mudblood. Most of all she was in the Gryffindor House and he was a Slytherin. Natural enemies. Not to mention she was best friends with Harry Potter, the boy who lived. Oh, and she beat him in every single test no matter what the subject was. The list kept going but suddenly, there she was walking towards him. Should he warn her? No, besides she wouldn't believe him anyway. He continued to walk in her direction wondering if he should say something mean, turn into a different classroom before he reached her, or just ignore her all together. She wasn't looking at him so he assumed she had lots of things on her mind.

As they neared, Draco finally settled on a course of action. When they got close enough to touch, Draco raised his hand to slap the books she was carrying out of her arms. She looked up at him right before he slammed his arm down and he saw a mix of surprise and worry in her warm chocolate eyes. She obviously was concerned about something and deep inside he didn't want to cause her any more trouble than what she was unknowingly dealing with already.

Instead of completing his cruel thought, he shouted, "Hey!" to an invisible friend, pretending to wave in recognition. She kept walking as though nothing had occurred and he silently cursed himself for giving up such an easy opportunity. The thought crossed his mind to pull his wand out and jinx her while her back was turned but the memory of Professor Moody turning him into a ferret the last time he had tried to do that jumped to the front of his mind and he cast away the idea.

Sighing, Draco decided to go back to the Slytherin common room to terrorize a few first years before dinner. His homework load was somewhat light this weekend; only McGonagall and Trelawny had assigned homework today. He never did Divination work anyway, though he probably should practice transfiguring a chair into a toilet. Professor Snape had let him off the hook for the weekend though all the other students had a foot long paper to write.

A door slammed suddenly behind him and Draco was startled from his thoughts. Someone was running down the corridor toward him and a moment later he felt a slight brush against his shoulder as someone ran past him. Gaining distance away from him was a girl with slightly bushy hair who was clutching something to her chest and he knew that Granger had walked in on the weasel. He wanted to follow her and comfort her but it would be a mistake. There was no way such complete enemies could work together, even be friends.

"Hermione! Wait!" Weasley's voice carried down the corridor and Draco felt his heavy steps chasing after her.

Filled with loathing, Draco stuck his foot out at exactly the right time and caught Weasley mid-stride. Weasley fell hard on the stone floor and groaned.

"Watch where you're going, Ginger," Draco sneered at him sprawled on the floor.

"Oi! Ferret! Keep your paws to yourself, eh?" Ron stood up and towered over Draco by a few inches. He turned to see where Hermione had gone.

"Looks like your girlfriend doesn't want to have anything to do with you, weasel. She must have seen your hideous face and fan away!" Draco laughed at his joke and turned to leave a fuming Ron behind him, trying to decide if he should go after Hermione or attack Draco right then and there. When Draco didn't feel a fist against the back of his head he figured the flaming-haired Gryffindor had given up. Weasley wasn't good enough with spells to try to jinx him so Draco wasn't worried about being attacked.

Draco's mind returned to think about Hermione. He couldn't help but be captivated by her captivating eyes, alight with intelligence and curiosity. The light freckles scattered delicately across her nose and cheeks. They were difficult to notice but he loved how they accented her bright smile. She could make an entire room smile with her when she grinned. If only she wasn't a muggle-born. If only there was a way to capture her heart without making the whole school wonder if the world had turned upside down. If only she needed him.

Draco suddenly turned around. She did need him. He could convince her to get revenge on the weasel. He would be the answer and the whole school would think...what would they think? Who cared? No one would question a Malfoy. He would tell a few people it was a dare, to capture the Gryffindor princess's heart. Yes. And he knew that she never heard rumours. Or if she did she didn't believe them, otherwise she would have heard about Weasley's cheating almost two months ago.

As Draco's plan came together he headed to the one place he knew she would be comfortable. He knew he probably shouldn't get involved with anything to do with her but he couldn't turn back now that his idea was hatched. Though they were enemies, Draco did have a heart, and he couldn't watch silently as she got hurt over the pathetic ginger. So he would go to sit, concoct his plan some more, and wait for her to come...to him.

Well there's Ch. 1. I hope you liked it! I was originally planning on writing it all and then putting it all up but I'd rather hear what you all think about it! Thanks for reading! Ch. 2 is up now so enjoy! 


	2. Chapter 2

Here's Ch. 2! Enjoy! Oh and I forgot to say in Ch. 1 that unfortunately I do not own any of the characters of the Harry Potter series. It all belongs to J. K. Rowling. The poems are mine though. 

THE SWEETEST THING Ch. 2

Hermione's POV

"_If love was an easy thing_

_Would people care less about it?_

_Do we challenge ourselves_

_By making it harder?_

_Do we strive for what we cannot achieve_

_Though we claim the lesson learned is the true gift?_

_If what I ask is so,_

_Then is real love not possible?_

_From what I've seen and done_

_The greatest challenge_

_Is in not challenging myself at all_

_Fore the pain when the challenge is lost_

_Is greater than the love_

_When I have won."_

_Krista Everett_

"You don't understand ANYTHING about my feelings and especially about love, Ronald!" Hermione's voice rose over the loud chatter in the Gryffindor common room and those standing near her were silenced by their own surprise.

"But Hermione, I do love you!" Ron pleaded. "Lavender means nothing to me. It was just a stupid dare. You are the one I care about."

Hermione couldn't help but see right through Ron's lie. His long freckled nose was accented by a trickle of blood where she had punched him and to her, it seemed like his nose was getting longer with 

each lie he was feeding her. What she wouldn't give for a drop or two of veritaserum so she could have proof of his cruel lies.

"Ron," Hermione took a deep breath and spoke calmly. "You say you care about me, right?"

"Of course!" Ron stared deeply into Hermione's eyes trying to look truthful, but she caught a flash of guilt and knew that she was right to be mad at him.

"So, if you care about me, then you want me to be happy right?"

"Yes, 'Mione. I'll do anything you want."

"Good, and this is what I want you to do. STAY AWAY!" She spun around and rather than going to her room to cry into her pillow she rushed out of the common room. Hermione ignored the complaints of the fat lady as she flew by and charged down the stairs. She didn't even have to think about where she was headed; her feet knew the way easily.

She wished tears would roll down her cheeks but she was too mad to allow any other emotion to take over. Hermione thought about the look on Ron's face when she had walked in on him snogging Lavender. Lavender Brown, of all girls! How could she have been so easily deceived? She imagined the look on his face now as he watched her walk away.

After a few minutes and multiple staircases Hermione finally reached her destination. She had still not calmed down as she pushed open the large, heavy library doors and walked to her favourite table in the back corner. She didn't have any homework to do; she had completed it earlier that afternoon and since it was Friday she was free for the weekend. It was a Hogsmead weekend too, one in which she had been planning on spending quality time with Ron.

Hermione decided to take a book from the fiction section. Though she didn't always have time to read books for entertainment, she did enjoy a break from heavy duty textbooks every once in a while. She reached for a novel that had been on her mental list of "books-to-read" but as she pulled it out, remembered it was a gooey romance novel. In fact, she realized as she shoved it back between two others, it had been Lavender who had recommended it to her. Hermione wondered how Lavender had time to read if she had been snogging Ronald in secret all this time.

Looking around, Hermione settled on a dusty book on the lowest shelf. She pulled it out and brushed off the black cover, revealing green and silver writing. She paused, and the only word that came to mind was _Slytherin_. But she was feeling rebellious and she didn't care if the book was associated with Slytherin or the Dark Lord himself. She just wanted to lose herself in the words and pages and besides, didn't people always say you can't judge a book by its cover? Well she knew that was true. Ron seemed like a nice guy but in reality he was a cheater and she hated him for it.

As she made her way through the tall bookcases, Hermione got a funny feeling that something else wasn't right and when she turned out of the fiction area she realized why. There, sitting at her table, looking up at her as if he had been expecting her was the person she hated even more than Ron, 

though at the moment it was difficult to know who she really did despise more. And from this distance it looked like Draco Malfoy was smiling at her so it was hard for her to actually remember why she disliked him so much. Though she knew it was wrong she couldn't help feeling a little weak at the knees for his handsome looks and intelligent mind, second in their year only to her. In fact, there was no reason for her to not like him at the moment. Wasn't she about to read a book decorated with Slytherin colors?

She continued to walk toward him when she remembered the truth. He was the one who hated her. Well, all muggle-borns really, but perhaps more she than most others. And all because she was part of the "Golden Trio." Well Ron had royally screwed that up for a while so maybe Malfoy wouldn't be as bad to her.

As she got closer to him the smile she had imagined on his face became a sneer and her hopes fell. Who was she kidding? Malfoy would just make her life even more of a living hell by teasing her about being, well, rejected in a sense, by Ron. She scowled and prepared to fight him for her table, feeling a slight sting in her eyes now that yet another thing was choosing to not go her way today.

"Malfoy," she sighed, "we've been here for five years and you know very well that this is my table so would you please leave before I make you?" Hermione stood defending her threat with one hand on her hip and a menacing look on her face. She hoped he wouldn't cause too much trouble.

"Don't think so, Granger. You see I was here first and I don't really plan on leaving, thanks." Malfoy's mouth formed into his famous smirk and he looked at her with his cold, gray eyes. Hermione was about to retort, but then she caught a snatch of sympathy before the hardness returned to his face.

Knocked off course, Hermione could only plead with him. "Please, Malfoy. I'm really not in the mood to fight today and you aren't even doing any work. Can you just lay off for once?" She tried not to make it sound like she was begging but she knew her tired face betrayed her.

Malfoy continued to stare at her. "Like I said, I'm not leaving, but there's a nice table over there," he pointed to the other side of the library, "where I'm sure you'll be just fine and you won't be bothering me. Actually," he paused for effect," why don't you go hang out with the weasel?" Malfoy sneered all-knowingly, his acidic words doing the damage they were intended to inflict.

Hermione caught herself before she burst into tears and instead, slammed the book onto the table and sat in a chair. She picked up the book and opened to the first page but the words were blurred by the moistness in her eyes.

"What do you think you're doing, Granger? I thought I told you to go sit somewhere else so you wouldn't bother me," Malfoy peered at her over the book.

"And how would I possibly be bothering you, Malfoy?"

"By your senseless blubbering about a stupid git who wasn't even good enough for you in the first place. You shouldn't have wasted your time with him."

Hermione stopped cold. She stopped thinking. She stopped breathing. Was Draco Malfoy the one who was really telling her this? She looked at him in wonder and saw surprise in his own face.

"W-w-what?" Hermione barely whispered her question.

Malfoy looked like he didn't want to keep talking but he opened his mouth instead. "Listen, if you need or want someone to talk to...I, uh...well...it's just that I'm bored and I happen to know a thing or two about dating. Besides I wouldn't mind making the weasel jealous...but not me I mean! It would be you of course, but...I could..." Malfoy struggled for the right word, "teach...you, if you wanted..."

Hermione stared dumbstruck at the boy sitting across the table from her. Why the bloody hell would he want to help her? And why did he think she wanted revenge? Well, it wasn't a bad idea but... Malfoy?

"And...er...why do you think that I would want to make Ron...jealous?" Hermione asked.

Now, Malfoy seemed to be able to answer her question easily. "Well, the book you're reading was written by an old, famous Slytherin about getting revenge with his enemies. I've already read it and improved upon the ideas suggested." Malfoy grinned widely, proud of his evil scheme.

Hermione sat still, considering Malfoy's proposal. Her first thought was that there was no chance that she would take him up on his offer. Though she was mad at Ron, she still cared for him and getting even was not on her list of things-to-do. But as she thought about it more she couldn't help but feel a little bit excited at the prospect of making Ron jealous when, at the moment, she was burning with anger, betrayal, and perhaps a tad of jealousy herself.

Malfoy mistook her silence for unwillingness to accept his idea. "It was just a thought..." He stood up and began to walk away.

"Wait!" Hermione surprised herself and stood up too. Malfoy looked at her, a curious glint in his eyes. Against her better judgement, she asked, "W-what did you have in mind?"

"Really?"

Hermione nodded and pushed her chair in. She picked up the book and walked a few steps to stand beside Malfoy.

"Alright, Granger! I didn't think it was possible, but maybe you do have a mean bone in your body." Malfoy laughed and began plotting with Hermione, a genuine smile stretching across his face.

So there you go! Please R&R and I'll do my part to get the next chapters written and uploaded. Thanks for reading! 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 is here! So let me say just a few things first...thank you to those of you who have given me support and like my story! I feel great knowing that there are readers out there who are enjoying what I'm writing. Next, I bumped up this story's rating to M, not because it's going to get dirty but because I've been getting lots of alerts on this story. I'm not quite sure why yet but I'd really appreciate it if someone would tell me what is so offensive with my fic. Thanks for your support and help!

THE SWEETEST THING Ch. 3

Draco's POV

_Take a chance_

_Moments like this don't happen every day_

_Don't let this slip away_

_Believe in what you say_

_Don't hold your heart at bay_

_Find the courage to play_

_The game_

_Of love and jealousy and lies_

_Your burning desire shouldn't hide_

_Let your heart be the guide_

_Stay steady, don't change with the tides_

_Keep your mind open wide_

_Take a chance_

_And fly_

_Krista Everett_

Draco walked swiftly into the library, over to where he was meeting Hermione at her table. He was still having trouble believing that she had accepted his proposal of revenge on Ron, but he was glad nonetheless.

It was only their fifth day of planning and when Professor Snape had assigned them to work together on a month long project they suddenly had the perfect cover. Now they could scheme together while it looked like they were being forced to work on the project.

She was already there, sitting with her nose shoved into the book. He knew she had finished reading it but now was scanning through again to uncover any missed ideas that could come in handy. Though the book was mainly about getting even with enemies, there was a long chapter about dealing with exes. That was where he came in.

The chapter involving exes detailed that if one wanted to make his or her ex jealous, one should enter a new relationship with a person completely different from the ex his or herself. Basically Hermione needed to go out with a badass who didn't have freckles taking over his entire face and wasn't a ginger who's best friend was a scarhead. Immediately, Hermione wanted to put her own twist on the idea by going a step further and asking out Ron's own brother, Fred. When she suggested this to Draco, he cringed and made up some excuse about how she had to make sure she had nothing to do with the entire family as she did this. Upon hearing that, Hermione flew into a rage and insisted that she not give up her friendship with the youngest Weasley, Ginny, and after a few hours of arguing Draco finally realized she would not relent and he gave up on trying to make her break her friendship with Ginny.

After that, the two had gone through all the possible candidates for the position. Draco never agreed with the guys Hermione picked and he purposely suggested boys that had no chance of ever being good enough for to the task of pretending to be her boyfriend.

But today he would carefully imply that he wouldn't be such a bad choice for the job. In fact, he was even willing to, in the name of sweet, evil revenge of course. He had to live up to his Slytherin Prince title, but wouldn't it be sweet to have the prince and the princess of the school be together?

Draco shook his head to clear his mind and pulled a chair out across from Hermione. Her head whipped up and she had a huge smile on her face. "I'm glad you got here just now," she said and Draco's heart filled with excitement. She was happy to see him!

"I didn't know my presence put you in such a good mood. I'll come earlier next time..."

She gave him a confused look. "Actually, I meant that I just read something in the book and it was perfect timing that you got here so I can tell you about it."

Draco's shoulders slumped a little and he looked down at the floor. "Oh. I guess that's good. Er...so what is it?" He tried to sound interested.

"Well," Hermione looked down at the words in the book, "it says here that if I want to make Ron jealous I need to go out with someone who's more accomplished than he is. I was thinking that Jacob Smith in Hufflepuff would be good because he's on the Quiddich team and he's scored the most goals so far this season. Also, he gets better marks than Ron does and," Hermione blushed before she said the last part, "he's really cute too." She smiled at him and waited for a response.

"Er...I suppose he would work, but..." Draco trailed off, trying to think of an excuse as to why Jacob wasn't the best choice.

"But what?" Hermione seemed shocked that yet again her pick wasn't good enough.

Draco was thinking quickly. He hoped he wouldn't have to make up another excuse like he'd had to for Malcolm Weston the other day. Draco had told her Weston had been tongue-tied jinxed and wasn't able to talk, though Draco knew for a fact that Malcolm's speech was perfectly fine.

"Jacob...er...he..." Draco remembered an incident from this morning when Smith had gotten a howler from his mum. Draco wasn't one-hundred percent aware of what had happened so he slightly twisted a story in his favour. "I feel bad for the kid, actually." Draco looked up to see if Hermione had taken the bait.

"Why? Is he okay? Did something happen to him or his family?" Hermione's concern showed in her eyes and her pure goodness and caring made Draco feel guilty about the lie he was about to tell her.

"Did you hear the howler he got this morning?" Hermione nodded. "Well his mum found out that he had gotten a lot of detentions recently and she said he was grounded. She sent a letter to McGonagall to make sure he wasn't allowed to go to anymore Hogsmede weekends until the end of the term and he can't date either. It's a damn shame," Draco shook his head.

"Hmmm..." Hermione was thinking and Draco wondered what was going through her mind. She seemed frustrated when she finally spoke again, "Well, I don't know anyone else who would work! We've been through everyone. Maybe this isn't such a great plan, Dra-I mean Malfoy." She shut the book and looked at him earnestly.

"Since when do you give up, Granger?" He hadn't missed how she had almost said his first name but he decided to ignore it now. "I thought you wanted to make the weasel pay for hurting you."

"I do! But without someone to pretend to be my boyfriend it simply won't work. Like I said there's no one left who would work, unless you were thinking of Elroy Jenkins, the 5th year Ravenclaw who still wets the bed."

Draco chuckled at Hermione's little outburst. "No, I was not going to suggest Jenkins, unless you wanted him to be your boyfriend. Though I'm not sure who would win in a fight, your ginger or the bed-wetting wonder." Hermione shot him a disapproving look. "Besides," he continued, "we haven't mentioned _everyone_..."

Hermione waited for Draco to finish his thought but he looked down at the table as though fascinated by the patterns in the wood.

"Are you going to tell who you had in mind, because now would be a superb time to let me know before I call off the entire idea right now." Draco didn't know what was on her nerves but he didn't think it was him. He guessed she had probably run into Ron again this morning or last night and he had set her off.

"I was thinking...there're lots of people we haven't talked about but...there's this one guy...probably not your type...very...experienced...and handsome...I don't think he'd mind...he's much better than Weasley...he would treat you right..." Draco trailed off waiting for her to understand.

Instead she sighed, "I need a _name_, Draco."

"Actually..." Draco took a deep breath. Here goes nothing, "you just said his name."

Draco cringed and squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for a gasp of shock or a disgusted rejection or a slap across his face but still after a minute or two there was no response from her. He looked up, expecting to see her staring at him with a horrified expression on her face but instead she was lost in thought again, her eyes unfocused, deep in concentration.

"Yes!" She jumped out of her chair and crossed to the other side, pulling out a chair to sit next to him. "That would be just perfect! I can't believe I didn't think of it myself. Why, Ronald's always talking about what a great seeker you are or how you're always with a pretty girl. Why, I think he's already jealous of you. Not to mention your family's wealth and well...anyway, if _I_ were to go out with _you_, he would positively go mad!" She laughed at the thought and looked at Draco.

"I-I'm glad you like my idea," Draco smiled. He couldn't help but feel happy when he was around her. "Let's make this official then."

Hermione paused, "Pretend official, right?"

"Er...yeah. Pretend official." He looked into her eyes, bright with excitement and delight. "Hermione, do you...er...want to go out with me?" He winked.

"Why, yes, Draco. That would be wonderful," she smiled and winked back.

"Okay then," Draco wasn't sure where to go from there. Dozens of questions flew through his mind and he wondered if, for once, he was getting in over his head. One thing that he did know though, was that, for him anyway, this was no longer about getting revenge. In truth, for him it never really was. But this was turning into something much bigger than he had originally planned and, in spite of himself, he was looking forward to seeing where he would end up.

So there's Ch. 3 everyone! I'm going to start Ch. 4 tonight but enjoy this now and like I wrote above, please let me know if there is anything too inappropriate because I am really stumped as to what it could be. Thanks!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 has arrived! Yay! So I'm going to be putting my story back down to a T rating because I finally found out that alerts are a good thing. I was mixed up and thought that if I got too many alerts that my story would be taken down and this and that, kind of like red flagging it. But thanks to darbythomas, I now understand. Enjoy and please R&R! Thanks!

THE SWEETEST THING Ch. 4

Hermione's POV

_Emotions ripple around me_

_I'm scared, excited, free_

_This is what I've been waiting for_

_A storm upon the calm sea_

_And I'm the strong, trusty sea_

_You're the storm, trying to harm me_

'_Till the sun rises up to greet us_

_And shines everlastingly_

_We'll fight to the death, us three_

_The sun on the side of the sea_

_So your storm will lose and die out_

_And the sea will always be_

_Krista Everett_

What had just happened? Hermione closed her eyes and remembered each detail about the conversation she had had with Draco-no, Malfoy-no...Draco...was right. If they were going to pretend to go out they had to make it look real. Draco. Hermione sighed in comfort but suddenly snapped her eyes open. She had to be dreaming. There was no way she could go out with him. It would be betraying Harry and Ron. Ron. That slimy, good-for-nothing weasel. She gasped. Now that was crossing the line. She would never think anything like that about Ronald, would she?

Hermione let her mind drift back to the discussion she'd had after Mal-...Draco...had "asked her out." No one knew that they were "dating" yet and they had been talking about how to slowly, let people know. One of Hermione's concerns was what people would say about Draco and why he was going against his muggle-born-hating ways. Draco's answer had been simple. He would slip a rumour that someone had dared him to seduce her and he just wanted to see how far he could go with it.

Hearing that had led her to ponder if he was actually telling the truth and he was taking advantage of her situation to seduce her like he'd said. She remembered the sincere look in his eyes as he said he would treat her right and they way he'd been...almost shy...when he was hinting to her that he would be a good candidate for the pretend boyfriend job.

She had to admit that she didn't mind having to be in a "relationship" with Draco Malfoy of all guys. He was incredibly handsome and well-built. Through his robes she (and anyone else who was looking) could see that his muscles were toned from his position as the Seeker on the Slytherin quiddich team. He carried himself well, head help up high and confident, not slinking around anymore as he had during their 1st and 2nd years at Hogwarts.

In fact, if it hadn't been for the fact that they were blood enemies, she might have taken an interest in him earlier on in their school years. She couldn't forget that he was intelligent as well. But not in a nerdy way. He passed all of his tests with the same grade or only a few points below her.

And, from what she could see so far, he seemed like a gentleman. If she didn't know him any better she might have thought he actually liked her from the way he gazed into her eyes and how he acted like he was trying to protect her. And he had finally smiled! It wasn't the sneer that was usually plastered across his face but a genuine smile that felt so natural, so right for her to like.

Sheesh! She was reading too much into the whole "treat you right" thing. Maybe she _was_ being seduced. Well, it served her purposes too, so she figured she could go along with it for a while. Just until she was over trying to make Ron jealous. But even as she thought about it, Hermione knew deep down that she believed he was being sincere and honest. And as much as she didn't want to think about how she felt about that, she was happy. It was the first time in months that she finally felt secure and not always worried about what Ron would say or do. She was excited about being Draco Malfoy's "girlfriend." Even if it was pretend.

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Hermione walked into the Gryffindor common room. Her thoughts had shifted from thinking about Draco and their plan, to homework, and then back to Draco. But now she was mulling over the way they had decided to break the news to everyone. Part of her wanted to shout out to everyone in the common room right now but she knew that the only way to make Ron truly jealous was by following through with the plan.

So when she broke away from her thoughts to find the common room pitch black, she was confused. The fire never went out and who had blown out all of the candles? The lack of light and heat made the large room cold and Hermione shivered.

Before she could take another step with her hand stretched out to feel for objects blocking her path to the stairs, the lights all blazed on at once and Hermione fell backward onto the red and gold rug. She held her arm above her eyes to see who had played such a bad joke on her but it was no use. All the 

candles being lighted at once had blinded her and the only thing she could see were little black and white dots jumping out at her.

"I'm really sorry, Hermione," a voice said from somewhere above her. "Wait! Where'd she go?"

Hermione could feel a bump growing on the back of her head where she had hit it on the ground and she groaned slightly.

"Oh, 'Mione! What're you doing on the ground, love?" Whoever belonged to that same voice was bending over her and helping to lift her up.

"She must have been shocked by the all the lights shining on, Ronald," it was a girl's voice this time. She sounded exasperated. "I _told_ you it was a bad idea. Have you gone mad?"

Suddenly the arms holding Hermione up vanished and she crashed back down to the floor, hitting her head in the same spot. Her eyes were closed and she kept them that way, not needing to see the black and white dots spinning now too.

"Now, listen here, Ginny! You stay out of it, eh? She doesn't need you to be carrying on about what else I'm doing wrong and it's not helping my case right now either."

Hermione moaned louder this time and the person who had just been yelling at Ginny turned his attention back to her.

"I'm so, so sorry, Hermione. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen." The arms lifted her up again.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes. "Ron?" She was looking straight at his long freckled nose and she involuntarily flinched away at the closeness. Her brain struggled to catch up with everything that had just happened. "How _what_ was supposed to happen? And...did you just call me _love_?"

She tried to get out of the grasp of Ron's arms, but he held her tightly. And then she saw everything. Hanging on the far wall was a banner saying "I'M SRRY HERMINE" and many of their fellow Gryffindors were gathered in the room around them. A few people were whispering but for the most part, everyone was silent, waiting for her reaction.

"Hermione, I made a really big mistake and I'm really sorry. Please forgive me and take me back." Ron's eyes pleaded with her as she looked at him.

Hermione wasn't sure how to respond. She wasn't sure how she was _supposed_ to respond. The number of people and the fact that there were people here to witness an apology that should have been private made her suspicious that Ron was trying to trick her into going out with him again. She wouldn't really say no to him in front of everyone, would she? Well, he was about to get an earful.

"Well, Ronald, judging by the fact that you a) just blinded me, causing me to fall and hit my head, b) dropped me so I hit my head _again_, c) think that I won't still turn you down with all of these 

people here, d) don't even know how to spell my _name_-" Hermione paused for a breath in which Ron interjected.

"But, they didn't have the letter 'O' at the shop-"

She cut him off, "_e) cheated on me in the first place,_ and f) are a selfish prick, I'm going to have to deny your apology and not waste my breath or time forgiving you or giving you a second chance." She ripped herself out of his clutch and made her way to the girl's dormitory.

With his long arms though, Ron grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around to face him. "Please, Hermione. I love you. I need you."

Hermione was shocked that he could lie so easily. "How _dare_ you say that you _love_ me? Let go of me this instant!"

"But, why won't you go out with me again, 'Mione?"

"Because you are an arrogant jerk and..." Hermione stopped herself before she completely gave away her plans, but the look on Ron's face, trying to be sorry, angered her even more and she wanted to hurt him right then and there. "Because I'm with someone else right now!"

Hermione watched as Ron's eyes widened in surprised but she ignored him as he shouted back at her, "WHO? OI! WHO ELSE WOULD ASK YOU OUT?" She slammed the door behind her and sat on her bed. His last line had hurt her a little bit but a smile spread across her face. Ron was definitely jealous already and he didn't even know who her "boyfriend" was yet.

Hermione decided to write Draco a quick message telling him what had just happened so he would be up-to-date and know the right buttons to push tomorrow when Part 1 was initiated. She was satisfied with Ron's reaction and, honestly, she couldn't wait until tomorrow morning to see Draco and to put their plan into action because that was when the real fun and games would begin.

Whoa! That was really fun to write and I hope you all find it fun to read too! Don't forget to R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 has arrived! I wrote that because it rhymed. It's just a mini-chapter because I wasn't planning on writing Ron's POV until a little bit later on but now that I got this idea stuck in my head I guess I just have to go along with it. Sorry that it's been a few days since I updated. I just moved into my dorm at college for my first year so things have been kind of crazy. I'll try to keep updating every day or so but unfortunately I can't promise you anything. I hope you're happy with Chapter 5 now though. So here we go!

THE SWEETEST THING Ch. 6

Ron's POV

_Who should I go to, to win back your heart?_

_I should have kept it when I had it from the start._

_What am I supposed to say when sorry's not enough?_

_Try as I might, but you're just too tough._

_When will you heal enough to forgive me for what I've done?_

_Your wounds are still open and the battle isn't won._

_Where am I to turn to when you just won't give in?_

_I'm lost in a world of loneliness and sin._

_Why won't this guilt just go away?_

_I didn't know this was the price I'd pay._

_How am I supposed to live?_

_Now I've broken your heart and that was the greatest thing you had to give._

_Krista Everett_

_I'm with someone else right now._ The words seeped through Ron's mind replaying over and over again. How could she be with someone else already? They had broken up only a few days ago. It had been less than a week! Whoever the slimy girlfriend stealer was, Ron was going to find out and make him pay.

_Well, technically, she's not your girlfriend anymore,_ a voice spoke in the back of his head but he ignored it. He was trying to think of any other guy who would want to ask out a bookworm.

_You went out with that some bookworm, you know,_ the voice whispered again. Again, Ron pretended he didn't hear it. It couldn't be anyone good looking. Good looking people never asked out nerdy girls like Hermione. Except for him of course. He smiled at that thought and mentally scrolled 

through a list of names. He didn't even consider any Slytherins and decided it couldn't be a Gryffindor. Any true Gryffindor would know that he and Harry would rough them up if they tried to steal one of their girlfriends.

_Blimey! She's NOT your girlfriend!_ The voice was screaming at him. "Oh shut up, will you!" Ron shouted back. Two second year girls sitting at the same table as he was looked at him as if he had gone mad.

"Um...we didn't say anything..." they carefully edged away from him.

"Not you," Ron replied, agitated. He held his head in his hands. He could feel a headache throbbing dully.

Hermione was still his. She must be lying. Yes! That was it! Nobody else had asked her out. She was still as alone as ever because he couldn't believe anyone else would want her as their girlfriend. Unless they were using her to do their homework like he did. So maybe it was a Ravenclaw. But Ron immediately tossed that idea out of his head. Ravenclaws loved to do their own homework. They were all book loving braniacs and he couldn't imagine any one of them even giving the idea of going out with a girl a thought.

The voice didn't say anything this time and Ron was glad it stayed quiet.

"Oi! Did you see Hermione before? When she dumped Ron again?" A tall 6th year boy was talking a group of his friends in a far corner of the common room and Ron's ears perked up.

"How could you miss her?" They laughed and Ron felt a little satisfied that Hermione's big show was giving the Gryffindors something to laugh at. He found it slightly funny too, once he got past the embarrassment of being ...er...dumped...again. It was almost hilarious how she claimed to have another boyfriend already.

Ron began to break into hysterics but was stopped when he heard one of the other boys say, "She was bloody brilliant, eh?"

"Quite spot on about it. And they way she whirled around at the top of the stairs. I swear I smelled her delicious perfume."

"That Granger is something. You know, once she helped me with a project for Hagrid and the...well, I don't remember what it was exactly...but it ripped her sweater and all she had was a plain white t-shirt on underneath and a black bra. I don't think she realized but, that's one assignment I'll never forget." They all laughed again.

"I'll tell you one thing though, whoever her new boyfriend is, he's lucky to have such a smoking hot chick." The boys murmured in agreement and then went back to their homework.

Ron's face burned red. How could they be talking about Hermione like that? And suddenly she was bounding down the stairs. Ron's eyes followed her as she purposely didn't look at him and she turned to smile at the group of boys who had forgotten their work and were gazing at her.

It was like Ron was watching a scene from a movie in slow motion. Hermione's hips swayed as she walked, head held high and eyes focused on the portrait door. Her hair blew back as she walked and her once frizzy hair was now shiny and gleaming, lustrous curls bouncing down her back. Why hadn't Ron ever noticed her seductive curves and when had she gotten so...mature?

Hermione walked out of the common room and Ron could only stare after her. He had to get her back. He wasn't sure how but he knew that he still wanted her. She had only made herself more tempting by denying him and he would have her as his again.

So there you have it. It turned out to be a little bit longer than I thought but enjoy it nonetheless! Like I said, no promises but maybe Chapter 6 soon-ish. Keep encouraging me and I'll do it faster!


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